Casualty Reciprocal Co. v. Stephens

25 S.W.2d 180, 1930 Tex. App. LEXIS 1593
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided February 6, 1930·No. No. 895.·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

BARCUS, J.

Appellee instituted this suit to set aside an award made by the Industrial Accident Board and recover compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act (Rev. St? 1925, arts. 8306-8309, as amended). The cause was submitted to a jury on special issues and resulted *182 in judgment being entered for appellee for a lump sum settlement.

By various propositions appellant contends there was no pleading, or evidence to support the judgment for permanent total disability, and that appellee’s pleadings were not sufficient to support a lump sum settlement, and also contends that, since the injury proved was primarily to the left knee and right wrist, in no event could appellee recover for total permanent disability. We overrule all of these propositions. We think the pleadings are sufficient to support the judgment both for permanent total disability and a lump sum settlement. It was shown without dispute that appellee was employed by the Big Four Ice & Cold Storage Company, which carried compensation .insurance, as a fireman. He weighed 235 pounds, and, while standing on a 15-foot ladder, fell on a concrete floor and broke his left kneecap, fractured his right wrist, suffered a severe cut over the eye, broke his nose, knocked out four of his teeth, was knocked unconscious, and he was confined in a hospital for seven weeks. The case was tried seven months after the injury and appellee testified that he was still suffering severe pains in the head; that he had no strength in and no use of his right hand; was still unable to walk on his left leg without a crutch; that the injury to his eye had caused and was at that time causing his head to hurt; that before he was injured he was a stout, robust, healthy man, but since he had not been able to work. Dr. ICee testified that in his opinion appellee’s injuries were total and permanent. The physicians placed on the stand by appellant testified that appellee would never be able to as efficiently do the kind of work he had been doing before. We think the evidence supports the findings of the jury. While article 8306 of the Revised Statutes, as amended in 1927 (Gen. & Sp. Laws 40th Leg., p. 41, c. 28, § 1), provides that certain injuries, among others, the loss of one hand and one foot, would as a matter of law be held to be a total and permanent injury, it specifically provides that the enumeration contained therein should not be exclusive. There is no specific method nor ary hard and fixed rule of evidence required lor a claimant to establish the fact that he had suffered an injury that caused a permanent total disability, but, like any other issue of fact, is to be established by competent evidence. Standard Accident Insurance Go. v. Williams (Tex. Giv. App.) 4 S.W.(2d) 1023, Id. (Com. App.) 14 S.W.(2d) 1015; Southern Surety Co. v. Lacoste (Tex. Civ. App.) 7 S.W.(2d) 197 (error refused).

In response to a special issue the jury found that six per cent, per annum was a reasonable rate of discount to be allowed in event a lump sum settlement was made. Appellant complains of the trial court having submitted said issue to the jury, its contention being that the rate of discount was a question of law exclusively for the court. It did not, however, in any way suggest to the trial court what it thought was the correct rate of discount to be allowed. The decisions of our courts are in a somewhat chaotic condition with reference to the rate of discount to be allowed. In United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Nettles, 21 S.W.(2d) 31, in which case the Supreme Court has granted a writ of error, this court held that, where no evidence was offered thereon, and no issue had been submitted to the jury relative thereto, that six per cent, per annum was the correct rate to be allowed by the trial court as a matter of law. In the instant ease appellee alleged that six per cent, per annum was a reasonable discount and offered proof in support thereof, and the jury so found. Appellant in its brief states that it thinks six per cent, per annum is as a matter of law tbe correct discount to allow. Since it does not appear that appellant has suffered any injury by the issue having been submitted to. the jury, same, if error, was harmless. Appellant’s contention that the submission of the issue was an intimation on the part of the court that the jury should allow a lump sum settlement is, we think, untenable and without merit.

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Casualty Reciprocal Co. v. Stephens, 25 S.W.2d 180, 1930 Tex. App. LEXIS 1593 (Tex. Ct. App. 1930).

25 S.W.2d 180 (Casualty Reciprocal Co. v. Stephens) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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